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Arwen Bicknell

On the air.

Mid-level manager, executive couch potato. I watch and parse TV into management lessons to save y'all the time.

Interests: television, management, parenting, families, offices, interpersonal relations

Recent Activity

One thing a manager has to be able to do well is prioritize. I'm finding myself pulled in a number of directions these days, and working on this blog has become more of a chore than a pleasure. Given the low traffic and low yield of discourse, I'm going to... Continue reading

Posted Jun 21, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Fashion Friday: Backward Glances

All week, Arwen has been writing about television shows that have been remade into movies. I wish I could tell you I had seen the new A-Team movie, or had gone to the Miami Vice movie, but I had my fill of those in the 80s. Once John Taylor had... Continue reading

Posted Jun 18, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Theatrical Thursday: Management on the Run

Sam Gerard in The Fugitive is a U.S. Marshal on a mission. Inspired by Inspector Javert from Les Miserables, he spends his time chasing Richard Kimble, a man we know to be wrongly convicted. It makes for compelling viewing, watching two good guys duke it out. And not for nothing,... Continue reading

Posted Jun 17, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Flash and Substance

Miami Vice, which was pitched to executives as "MTV Cops," was noted for its hyper-stylish and artistic ouevre, and for plots that focused on the glamorous and sexy Miami underworld life of illegal sex and drugs. The sets, the music, the camera angles all took a relatively routine cop show... Continue reading

Posted Jun 16, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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The Brady Bunch was not the first show to feature a blended family, nor did it do much to point up some of the very real conflicts that arise when you try to smush two households together. (The original version of Yours, Mine and Ours did much better justice to... Continue reading

Posted Jun 15, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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This week we're going to take a look at TV shows of bygone eras that gained the dubious honor of being ripped off -- pardon me, "rebooted" -- into feature films. The quality of -- and intentions behind -- these reboots is variable. Some are intentional spoofs. Some are sincere... Continue reading

Posted Jun 14, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Faux Pas Friday: Two-Drink Maximum

Fashion is nothing if you don't know how to behave yourself. You know the old saying, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. Well, you can put a jackass in Armani, and it's still a jackass. This week, I am writing about how to behave... Continue reading

Posted Jun 11, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Theatrical Thursday: Bermuda, Bahama, Oh, Barf Me Out

It is safe to say that THE consummate professional on the bar scene is Rick Blaine. Unfortunately, Rick is so well-guarded (and well-regarded,) his clips can't be embedded on piker blogs such as mine, so his insights will have to be saved. If you can't have the sublime, then go... Continue reading

Posted Jun 10, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Hey, Bartender!

Bartenders do not have an easy time of it. Liquor licenses, entertainment schedules, drunk patrons -- it's a lot to take on. If you can manage a bar, odds are you can manage just about anything. Problem is, ever since Archie Bunker bought his own bar and grill there aren't... Continue reading

Posted Jun 9, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Our Troubles Are All the Same

What do you do when alcoholism ruins your athletic career? You buy a bar. People of a certain age will recall that once upon a time, there was such a bar in Boston. While it changed hands several times over the course of the series, it was pretty much always... Continue reading

Posted Jun 8, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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No Management in Philadelphia

In honor of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia arriving on Comedy Central, this week I'll do my best to glean management tips from bar shows. The only problem is, there aren't any real lessons to be gleaned from the self-centered owners of Paddy's Irish Pub in Philadelphia -- other than,... Continue reading

Posted Jun 7, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Faux Pas Friday: All Politics Is Personal

Sue Sylvester: You may be two of the stupidest teens I've ever encountered - and that's saying something. I once taught a cheerleading seminar to Sarah Palin. During the last election, I worked in a capacity that required me to read the correspondence between our company's CEO and an operating... Continue reading

Posted Jun 4, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Theatrical Thursday: Campaign Managers

There are lots of Washington movies out there, and there are even more great historical biopics based on real-life Executive Branch events. I'm not keen on using movies based on real events for management lessons. Odds are the actual situations were handled somewhat differently, and that's what history books are... Continue reading

Posted Jun 3, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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It doesn't get much more political than The West Wing, does it? Set during the fictional Democratic administration of Josiah Bartlet, it focuses on the somewhat nerdy yet personable Prez Bartlet and on his whipsmart staff who roam the administrative offices working spin cycles, damage control and getting in front... Continue reading

Posted Jun 2, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Management Spin

Editor's Note: A new month, a new format. I'm incorporating some changes: clips instead of quotes where possible (though you'll have to scroll ahead to the time indicated above the clip -- and I'm not sure how well I'll do on clips, since I don't have a video editor and... Continue reading

Posted Jun 1, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Even managers need a holiday. Taking this opportunity to revamp some aspects of the blog. Happy Memorial Day, everyone. We'll be back tomorrow. Continue reading

Posted May 31, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Fashion Friday: I'm Too Sexy for This Office

When I was starting out in my career, I had a penchant for skirts so short Ally McBeal would blush. I was standing in the ladies room one day fussing with the hem of my shirt, which when tucked in, was longer than the hem of my skirt, when an... Continue reading

Posted May 28, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Theatrical Thursday: Managing Editors

Every time I watch The Paper, I thank God that real life isn't like that, even on the worst days, even in modern times where the Internet makes every story's arrival a deadline. So it is a lovely little escapist frolic. It is also a lovely study of three managers... Continue reading

Posted May 27, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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We Hear the Playback and It Seems So Long Ago

Newspapers, broadcast newsmagazines ... all that can be left is Newsradio. Set at WNYX, a fictional AM news radio station in New York City, audiences met the madcap station owner and staff the same time as the station's new news director, level-headed Dave Nelson (played by Dave Foley). While Dave... Continue reading

Posted May 26, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Eleven years after Mary Tyler Moore went off the air, a different kind of career gal showed up. Murphy Brown, it is safe to say, is the anti-Mary Richards, and Miles Silverberg is the anti-Lou Grant. The show in and of itself is an interesting sociological study. More political than... Continue reading

Posted May 25, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Rule number one: Never hire friends. I hired a friend once and you know what happened? Worked out great. But that's me. You couldn't handle it. This week, we're going to take a look at shows that focus on a place near and dear to my heart -- newsrooms. My... Continue reading

Posted May 24, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Fashion Friday: Close Shave With Success

I find myself both feeling sorry for and envying men their easy wardrobe styles. Let's face it. In most companies, a man is going to have a very restricted set of choices for dress. The type of shoes, type of shirts or trousers, and requirements regarding neckties are usually decided... Continue reading

Posted May 21, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Theatrical Thursday: Inherit the Windbags

It would be very easy for me to have gone the obvious route for legal movies and explored everyone's paragon of honor, justice and virtue, Atticus Finch. Maybe someday. But not today. Instead, I'm going to look at another famous courtroom movie, but from the view of an understated and... Continue reading

Posted May 20, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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Managing the Client

Crime doesn't pay, but it's a living. Perry Mason and Matlock may have their followers, but for sheer staying power, you can't beat Horace Rumpole. On the air for approximately 17 years, popular on both sides of the pond, and with stories available in a variety of media, all episodes... Continue reading

Posted May 19, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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I'm not objective at all, and I'm going to turn my passionate, irrational anger against your office. Another lawyer in the second act of her life is Patty Hewes on Damages. (And yes, it's one of those annoying double-meaning titles, but the characters are such train wrecks that you pretty... Continue reading

Posted May 18, 2010 at Management Lessons: <br/>That's What She Said

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